The delivery of physical packages has many challenges, including non-specific addressing, poorly marked multi-unit buildings, difficult to read address markers, lack of delivery/drop-off area, security, theft, etc. Many times the physical issues of finding a delivery location are compounded by human error and/or fraud. To combat these issues, chips and locators have been placed in boxes or in the items to be delivered or the carrier (e.g., drivers, container, etc.). Couriers often call ahead of the delivery to verify the delivery location. However, current remedies are costly, resource intensive, and are still prone to delivery error. Once a package is delivered, it can also be difficult to track. Weather and access issues can further compound the difficulty in getting a delivery to its intended destination.
Rather than rely on humans to deliver packages, e-retailers are beginning to utilize aerial delivery drones for delivery of small packages. Drone delivery is designed to get a package to a customer quickly and cheaply. One significant disadvantage of the drone delivery system is the drone's inability to make decisions, which can be especially problematic when it is discovered that a delivery address is less than straightforward.
When making a purchase or defining a delivery, geo-location can be provided to be used during the delivery process. However, the delivery person, drone, or robot will have difficulty when either: a) they are unable to receive a geo-location, such as due to a loss of signal upon entering a building or b) geo-location is not specific enough, such as when a delivery point fails to consider multi-floor buildings having multiple units stacked vertically on top of each other, all with the same geo-location.